As I stated, you'll never please fanboys with a screen play. You just won't, as this article suggests. But you judge the forest, not the individual trees. Screen writing of epic novels is about capturing the essence of the story in a completely different medium. By trying to better weave the Hobbit franchise in with LOTR, Jackson has undertaken an impossible task. The addition of Legolas and the prominance of the elves of Mirkwood are true to the arch, not true to the Hobbit. His prominance is absolutely plausible, but not technically accurate. I guess you'll find what you choose to find.